# Single Malt Recommendations?



## MikeP (Jan 12, 2006)

I am somewhat concerned but I have developed a taste for and interest in single malt scotch. Concerned because like cigars, it can become an expensive hobby. But as cigars differ, all scotch whiskys have distinctive tastes often depending on the region of Scotland the distillery is located, etc. I've recently come in possession of a bottle of Laphroaig's 10 yr old whisky and found that I really enjoy its distintive taste. I was wondering if anyone had any single malts they would recommend but being conscious of cost?


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## jgros001 (Jun 14, 2005)

If you stay in the 10-12 year range, the cost can be very reasonable. My favorite Oban is about $40. Laphroig is very good - but the taste is disctinct. Oban and for example Glenmorangie are a lot milder in taste, imo. My best recommendation would be to go to an Irish bar and sample some. For me it is always straight with a drop of water. Any bar worth its salt should have at least 5 for you to try - maybe Macallens/Oban/Glenmorangie/Balmore/Balvinnie. Much better than buying an expensive bottle that you don't like.


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## Dr. Stogie Fresh (Nov 18, 2005)

Since you like Laphroaig, buy the 10 yr Cask Stregth. It's a heck of a scotch for the price.

The Doc


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

Dr. Stogie Fresh said:


> Since you like Laphroaig, buy the 10 yr Cask Stregth. It's a heck of a scotch for the price.
> 
> The Doc


Agree with this!
and if you like laphroaig, I would give some of the other Islay malts a shot.
Bowmore can be found relatively cheaply, Lagavulin is a bit more pricey. Ardbeg is harder to find depending on your state, but worth the search! Bunnahabhain is a good single, but is unpeated so very different than most islay malts. A good Caol Ila can knock yer socks off lol and Bruichladdich is kinda hard to find as well, and tends to be a bit pricey as well, but has some good stuff.

PaulMac


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## knuckles (Mar 24, 2005)

A bottle of low-cost, single-malt scotch... that's a bit of an oxymoron.  

If you like distinctive flavors, try a bottle of Lagavulin. Very nice smoky-cask flavors are present in each sip. 

I have to plug my favorite go-to scotch, Isle of Jura. It continues to be my favorite.


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

I love single malt scotch, but I have a question. I tried a botle of laphroaig 10 yo and it was the worst booze I have ever tasted. It tasted like bandaids mixed with a salve my Grandma used to put on chigger bites. The question is.....is this the normal flavor for laphroaig, or was this a spoiled or tainted bottle? I had to throw the bottle out and I am afraid to try it again. This was only about 4 months ago.


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## Hoppy (Sep 21, 2005)

Dalmore 12 year old is a good inexpensive single malt. I pay $32.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

opusxox said:


> I love single malt scotch, but I have a question. I tried a botle of laphroaig 10 yo and it was the worst booze I have ever tasted. It tasted like bandaids mixed with a salve my Grandma used to put on chigger bites. The question is.....is this the normal flavor for laphroaig, or was this a spoiled or tainted bottle? I had to throw the bottle out and I am afraid to try it again. This was only about 4 months ago.


if it tasted like smoke and iodine, it was spot on
tends to be very medicinal and have an oily texture for lack of a better term.
it definately defines a love it or hate it scotch, there is no middle ground lol

Paul


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

knuckles said:


> A bottle of low-cost, single-malt scotch... that's a bit of an oxymoron.


Not really, there are some hidden gems out there that are low cost. Auchentoshan Select and Speyside (formerly Drumguish) come to mind. Both can be had for under 20 bucks and while not knock yer socks off good, they are certainly decent drams for the price.

PaulMac


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## Hammerhead (Sep 7, 2005)

Mike, I'm partial to McAllan, because they age in a sherrywood cask, but Glenmorangie and Dalwhinnie don't suck either.

You might try to get one of those little mini-samper sets. Usually they come in 'nip' size bottles which, when poured over ice, give you a real good idea of the difference between them since the serving size is not so much that you can't try all of them at the same time.

On average, most better scotch ranges from pretty much the same price, to just a few dollars more, as pretty much any other distilled spirit on the market. So if you save it for 'special occasions' (like every other weekend), you'll be OK.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a very affordable libation that really brings out the flavor of a cigar, buy a bottle of Yellowtail Merlot. It's awesome. I've had Merlots that are all over the map, but when slightly chilled, this one is super.

Keep us posted on what you find. I might be up for a little re-exploration myself.


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

For reasonably-priced single malts, I'm partial to Macallan (12 and cask strength), Glenmorangie (all of 'em, especially the one aged in a port barrel), and Glenfiddich. I like a whole lot of others, too, but I drink and stock these most consistently.


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## Bigga Petey (Mar 25, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> if it tasted like smoke and iodine, it was spot on
> tends to be very medicinal and have an oily texture for lack of a better term.
> it definately defines a love it or hate it scotch, there is no middle ground lol
> 
> Paul


Yep. 
I had a bottle of that.
I couldn't get it past my lips.
Gave it to one of my brothers.
He loved it.
Go figure.


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> if it tasted like smoke and iodine, it was spot on
> tends to be very medicinal and have an oily texture for lack of a better term.
> it definately defines a love it or hate it scotch, there is no middle ground lol
> 
> Paul


I think that was it. Definitely not for me. Give me Macallans any day.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> Agree with this!
> and if you like laphroaig, I would give some of the other Islay malts a shot.
> Bowmore can be found relatively cheaply, Lagavulin is a bit more pricey. Ardbeg is harder to find depending on your state, but worth the search! Bunnahabhain is a good single, but is unpeated so very different than most islay malts. A good Caol Ila can knock yer socks off lol and Bruichladdich is kinda hard to find as well, and tends to be a bit pricey as well, but has some good stuff.
> 
> PaulMac


Paul, I'm gonna take a picture of my Asda's (WalMart's) Scotch selection, off the top of my head, the only one they don't have is the lagavulin.... Maybe they don't have the Bruichladdich anymore, but I'm sure they did before Christmas. Or I might just write a list of what they have, and ask you to reccommend from that :r


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

Lumpold said:


> Paul, I'm gonna take a picture of my Asda's (WalMart's) Scotch selection, off the top of my head, the only one they don't have is the lagavulin.... Maybe they don't have the Bruichladdich anymore, but I'm sure they did before Christmas. Or I might just write a list of what they have, and ask you to reccommend from that :r


Oooh! Pics!
I love Scotch ****! lol


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## RJT (Feb 12, 2005)

My "go to" single malts are Glenlivet 12 and Macallan 12 they both are going to run you around $40.00 depending on your area. Others to try would be Glenfiddich 12 or the Dalmor Cigar Malt all these are very nice for the money. Just my :2 on the subject. One that I do not care for at all is the McClelland single malt. Taste like turpintine to me. RJT


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

RJT said:


> My "go to" single malts are Glenlivet 12 and Macallan 12 they both are going to run you around $40.00 depending on your area. Others to try would be Glenfiddich 12 or the Dalmor Cigar Malt all these are very nice for the money. Just my :2 on the subject. One that I do not care for at all is the McClelland single malt. Taste like turpintine to me. RJT


McClelland is another one that claims to be a single malt but really isn't. Cheap swill


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## Hammerhead (Sep 7, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> Oooh! Pics!
> I love Scotch ****! lol


Aye, laddie. Dinna ye not know why they be wearin' the kilts? It be 'easy access' for a quick getaway.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

Hammerhead said:


> Aye, laddie. Dinna ye not know why they be wearin' the kilts? It be 'easy access' for a quick getaway.


What you mean THEY!
lol
Notice the Mac at the end of me name there laddie?


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

Your a wee bi' soft, almos' sassenach... ya gurt big jessie :r

Well, you're more Scottish than me (and part of my ancestry is rooted somewhere in Auchterless, near Aberdeen)


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## CoventryCat86 (Oct 14, 2004)

I don't have much experience with singles malts but I do have a couple of bottles of GlenFiddich 21YO Gran Reserva which is FANTASTIC!!


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## MattK (Jan 2, 2004)

I love Lagavulin 16, its incredible... A bit pricey


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## Jeff (Jan 2, 2005)

Stay away from Caol Ila. Its a Scotch whiskey from one of the regions that produce the highly peat flavored varieties. The smell alone was enough to make me gag. It had the aroma of burnt peat. The taste was only slightly better.

I can however, recomment Glenmorangie 12 Year.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

Jeff said:


> Stay away from Caol Ila. Its a Scotch whiskey from one of the regions that produce the highly peat flavored varieties. The smell alone was enough to make me gag. It had the aroma of burnt peat. The taste was only slightly better.
> 
> I can however, recomment Glenmorangie 12 Year.


yeah, but if he likes laphroaig...the highly peated whiskies are not gonna turn him off lol

but yeah, Glenmorangie is good stuff


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## joed (Nov 12, 2005)

jgros001 said:


> If you stay in the 10-12 year range, the cost can be very reasonable. My favorite Oban is about $40.


:tpd:

There are many that are good - but the Oban was a great steady - And very good with a Padron '64 or a Fuente Don Carlos.:w


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## HKGuns (Jan 7, 2006)

http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/index_EN.shtml

I've generally found this to be a reasonable site as far as ratings go.....

I prefer Glenmorangie Sherry Wood(12) over Glenlivet(12) and Aberlour and Ardberg are also excellent. I should note that I can't stomach Glenfiddich.

Next on my list to try is Pulteney.


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## MikeP (Jan 12, 2006)

PaulMac said:


> yeah, but if he likes laphroaig...the highly peated whiskies are not gonna turn him off lol
> 
> but yeah, Glenmorangie is good stuff


Thanks for all the recommendations. I've been thinking about looking around for sampler size bottles as a means of sampling a wide variety of scotch. It was recently, after having some 12 yr old Macallan and Glenfiddich - both of which I enjoy - that I got back into single malts.

I admit that the first time I tried Laphroaig, I didn't know if I would be trashing the bottle either. Its nose was so medicinal and with my first few sips, I realized it was unlike any other scotch I had ever tried. My overwelming impression was a salty, seaweedy taste. I thought it tasted like the North Atlantic. So I can certainly see why it is said to be a scotch that people either love or hate. After the first glass, I wasn't sure whether I liked or hated it. But I have now come to really enjoy the distinctive taste of this scotch. But I realize that its not for everyone. I'll try to be on the look out for some of the others that have been recommended here.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

MikeP said:


> Thanks for all the recommendations. I've been thinking about looking around for sampler size bottles as a means of sampling a wide variety of scotch. It was recently, after having some 12 yr old Macallan and Glenfiddich - both of which I enjoy - that I got back into single malts.
> 
> I admit that the first time I tried Laphroaig, I didn't know if I would be trashing the bottle either. Its nose was so medicinal and with my first few sips, I realized it was unlike any other scotch I had ever tried. My overwelming impression was a salty, seaweedy taste. I thought it tasted like the North Atlantic. So I can certainly see why it is said to be a scotch that people either love or hate. After the first glass, I wasn't sure whether I liked or hated it. But I have now come to really enjoy the distinctive taste of this scotch. But I realize that its not for everyone. I'll try to be on the look out for some of the others that have been recommended here.


Another one to keep an eye out for is Oban, for many gorillas I've talked to its a go to scotch, myself included


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## CIGma_Chi (Jan 26, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> Another one to keep an eye out for is Oban, for many gorillas I've talked to its a go to scotch, myself included


Big fan of Oban here as well. Highly recommend it.

I also like the Dalwhinnie 15 and as mentioned in another thread, the Glenfarclas 17.


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## punch (Mar 5, 2005)

PaulMac said:


> if it tasted like smoke and iodine, it was spot on
> tends to be very medicinal and have an oily texture for lack of a better term.
> it definately defines a love it or hate it scotch, there is no middle ground lol
> 
> Paul


The stuff that I had tasted like liquified smoked herring mixed with engine oil and turpentine. I could not believe anyone paid money to drink that s**t!

Aberlour makes a good single malt. In fact, they make several. I've not had one that I did not enjoy.


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## HKGuns (Jan 7, 2006)

Picked up a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 year last night for a reasonable $32....Am enjoying a glass right now and I can say it is fantastic.


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## cmiller (Sep 8, 2005)

I got a Balvinie(not sure I spelled that right) sampler for Christmas.

One of the bars here in Omaha the Dundee Dell has over 400 scotches available Scotch list and has Scotch tastings the 1st Sunday (and following Thursday) of each month. You might check to see if any such events occur near you.


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

cmiller said:


> I got a Balvinie(not sure I spelled that right) sampler for Christmas.
> 
> One of the bars here in Omaha the Dundee Dell has over 400 scotches available Scotch list and has Scotch tastings the 1st Sunday (and following Thursday) of each month. You might check to see if any such events occur near you.


You could have mentioned that before my wife and I took our trip up there for Thanksgiving. Thanks a lot


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## cmiller (Sep 8, 2005)

croatan said:


> You could have mentioned that before my wife and I took our trip up there for Thanksgiving. Thanks a lot


I didn't know about it myself until around Christmas or I would have included it in the list of restaurants I did for you.


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

cmiller said:


> I didn't know about it myself until around Christmas or I would have included it in the list of restaurants I did for you.


All right. By the way, y'all have some great steaks up there . And Croatanita and I both enjoyed the visit immensely.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

HKGuns said:


> Picked up a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 year last night for a reasonable $32....Am enjoying a glass right now and I can say it is fantastic.


Definitely a good dram, finished off a bottle a couple months ago


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## cmiller (Sep 8, 2005)

croatan said:


> All right. By the way, y'all have some great steaks up there . And Croatanita and I both enjoyed the visit immensely.


If your going to be up this way again drop me a line, perhaps we can get together with Punch and enjoy a stogie and a scotch. I would have suggested it your last trip but was out of town myself.


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

cmiller said:


> If your going to be up this way again drop me a line, perhaps we can get together with Punch and enjoy a stogie and a scotch. I would have suggested it your last trip but was out of town myself.


Sounds good. I was just talking with my wife's sister and brother-in-law who live up there last night about a return trip.


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## punch (Mar 5, 2005)

croatan said:


> Sounds good. I was just talking with my wife's sister and brother-in-law who live up there last night about a return trip.


You are welcome at my place, too. Except for the fourth of July weekend, I should not be too hard to find. I'm usually either at work or within three feet of either a cigar, bourbon or scotch or all of the above.


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## Stonefox (Nov 3, 2005)

I've also fallen into the single malt trap. It can get expensive in a hurry.:al 
Currently I working on some Dahlwinnie 15yr, Balviene doublewood 12yr , both are quite tasty. So far my favorite is a 21year Aberlour but that is saved for special occasions and runs over $120 a bottle if you can find it. My everyday favorites for both price and taste is Glenmoraine 10yr and Glenlivet 12 yr. I tend to like singles that are not too peaty being that I drink them neat. Cheers 
Stonefox


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## Wetterhorn (Apr 1, 2004)

MikeP said:


> I am somewhat concerned but I have developed a taste for and interest in single malt scotch. Concerned because like cigars, it can become an expensive hobby. But as cigars differ, all scotch whiskys have distinctive tastes often depending on the region of Scotland the distillery is located, etc. I've recently come in possession of a bottle of Laphroaig's 10 yr old whisky and found that I really enjoy its distintive taste. I was wondering if anyone had any single malts they would recommend but being conscious of cost?


*Laphroaig 10 year* old is by far my favorite Scotch. I prefer it to the 15 year old Laphroaig because it is wilder and stronger in it's distinctive Islay taste. Huge flavor that I absolutely adore.

*Lagavulin 16 year old* is probably number two in my favorite single malt Scotches. Another Islay, and has a powerful, peat-smoke aroma and taste. It is an excellent choice for those who like the Islay whiskys.

Highland malts are varied and there are a ton to try, but I like the Islays better simply because of the peat-smoke taste.

For a change of pace, I like to go to the Lowland malts, simply because they are so mild and smooth and offer a great contrast to the Islays. *Auchentoshan 10 year old *is my favorite. It is triple distilled (like Irish Whiskey) as contrasted to the double distilation Highland and Islay goes through. Very nice after dinner drink.


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## Aaron (Nov 28, 2005)

Hammerhead said:


> Mike, I'm partial to McAllan, because they age in a sherrywood cask, but Glenmorangie and Dalwhinnie don't suck either.
> ...
> In the meantime, if you're looking for a very affordable libation that really brings out the flavor of a cigar, buy a bottle of Yellowtail Merlot. It's awesome. I've had Merlots that are all over the map, but when slightly chilled, this one is super.


I've got a bottle of Dalwhinnie that is wonderful. But it's not the kind of stuff I drink alone... I prefer to share that kind of experience. Maker's Mark bourbon is my go-to if I want something in the scotch/bourbon family. I don't like my spirits watered down, though and these can overpower a milder cigar. The good thing about these, though, is that it forces me to pace myself so I have nice lapses for the scotch/bourbon to dissipate and burn a new layer of tastebuds for the stogie.

A plain, non-salted cracker, is also great as a tongue-renewer. Don't know about you guys, but matzo does the trick very well, though it's lousy as a bed for cheese.

Have to agree with you that a nice merlot goes very well with stogies. I keep kosher, so ports are hard to find. I was able to buy out the remainder of a lot of Australian kosher merlots and shiraz/cabernets, 96 bottles altogether, for $3.50/bottle. This particular brand, Altoona Hills, has been consistently good for me. Lots of good reasonably priced merlots in my neighborhood. Maybe I'll try to remember to bring a couple of bottles to SoCal7 to share. It'll dispell the rumor that all kosher wine is sweet cough syrup.

Mad Dog 20/20 anyone?


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## D. Generate (Jul 1, 2004)

I have fallen in love with peaty, smokey, spicy whiskies and so I really prefer the Islay malts. I'll never turn down another kind, mind you, these are just what I always reach for when I have the funds.

Ardbeg is a great whisky, and I am always amazed at the color. It looks like a white wine. Caol Ila is awesome and I used to think I didn't like Laphroaig but had the cask strength the other day at a bar and it changed my mind. Talisker is probably my favorite for sentimental reasons as well as for the peppery, smokey goodness it has.


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